AI exposure Production
Will AI replace paper goods machine setters?
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. US occupation 51-9196.
The reading
0.0%
of the time paper goods machine setters spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of paper goods machine setters' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.
What AI already does for paper goods machine settersWhat paper goods machine setters no longer do alone
O*NET lists 14 tasks for paper goods machine setters. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
14 of the 14 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.Core task
- Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.Core task
- Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.Core task
- Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.Core task
- Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools.
- Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.
Show the other 8
- Fill glue and paraffin reservoirs, and position rollers to dispense glue onto paperboard.
- Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting.
- Lift tote boxes of finished cartons, and dump cartons into feed hoppers.
- Measure, space, and set saw blades, cutters, and perforators, according to product specifications.
- Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
- Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
- Remove finished cores, and stack or place them on conveyors for transfer to other work areas.
- Stamp products with information such as dates, using hand stamps or automatic stamping devices.
How that compares
Among the 98 production occupations, paper goods machine setters rank 70. The group averages 0.8%, and its most exposed job is Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers at 12.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Level with 0.0%
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.